Sunday, November 21, 2010

Pancetta Wrapped Halibut with Summer Veggies

Who can resist a light and flaky white fish such as Halibut wrapped with Pancetta? Not me thats for sure. Fresh oregano, basil and garlic gives this light and healthy dish the perfect symphony of flavors. The veggies have a slight crunchy texture which pairs nicely with the Halibut.

Growing up my mom fed us a plethora of fish. We ate Korean Mackerel, prepared dried fishes, Monk fish, Cod and other varieties of fish popular amongst Koreans. And it was always prepared Korean style from fish soups to pan fried fish to stews.

Before immigrating to the U.S. I can clearly remember eating freshly caught fish while on a small fishing boat. It was caught right before my eyes and prepared raw, Korean style sushi if you will. It was dipped in a sweet, spicy and tangy Korean red pepper paste. I was no older than 3 or 4. You're probably thinking, what? you remember this. Oh yes, vividly.

You see, back then we didn't know the potential dangers of raw fish on children. So I pretty much ate what the adults ate. With no adverse reactions or allergies, thank the lord. And let me tell you, I liked it. And I still like it.

While preparing and cooking this meal, my son was busy pretend grocery shopping and naming all the items he purchased from his kitchen. He pretty much emptied out his play kitchen refrigerator, put it in his shopping bag and placed it on the kitchen counter and proceeded to name every item out loud while pointing at it.

He said,"here's some pasta and yogurt..." and when there was an item he didn't have a name for, he turned to me and said,"ma whats this?" Cuteness! He's such a curious lil dude and he asks a host of interesting questions.

My love always comes along when I take my weekly, and sometimes on a need basis grocery shopping adventures. He pushes the little toddler shopping cart and follows me as I pick out my items.

So imitating this behavior at home is no surprise. I imagine he'll be quite the cook when he's older.

2. Toss the vegetables and spread evenly in a baking dish, place in the preheated oven while you prepare the fish.

3. Season the fish with salt and pepper and squeeze the lemon half over it. Wrap the pancetta pieces around the fish and use a toothpick or skewer to secure it. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over high heat. Add the fillets and sear on the first side, about 1 minute. Carefully turn and cook for 2 more minutes.

Transfer the fish (and its juices, optional) on top of the vegetable bed and cook for about 10 minutes.

My boys devoured their dinner. Okay, I lied. My love didn't touch the pancetta but he gobbled everything else up. If you're not a fish lover, perhaps this dish will convert you. Enjoy!

26 Reactions to this post

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love hearing stories about your little man. It makes me so happy because it reminds me of my son and his cuteness as well. This dish looks incredible. That's not even the word! Restaurant quality for sure.

Now this halibut and pancetta combo is pretty special, too. I love that they're being served together and I'm imagining all the flavor that the cooked pancetta imparted to the fish and the veggies. Yum!

I remember going grocery shopping with my mom at both American and Korean grocery stores...and "helping" whenever I could in the kitchen. Those memories definitely helped nuture my love for cooking and I bet your son will be the same!

I agree with all the earlier comments, I love hearing stories about your sweet boy! I always love hearing about you...what a great memory you have of eating that fresh fish! I'm sure your good taste comes from those earlier culinary adventures. Thank you for sharing. I hope you have a great week!

I think it's awesome that you ate what the adults ate. It probably helped cultivate your palate at an early age and made you the foodie your are today! We've been trying to eat more fish so I'll be trying this out soon :)

I'd have to agree, pancetta on anything is a winner. We also had the basil linguini (the leftover homemade dried noodles I made a few weeks back) with an Asian sesame oil and scallion sauce, which was so good.

Beautiful dish! Wrapping the fish in pancetta must take the flavor to a whole nother level! My favorite part are the veggies on the bottom. I love cucumbers and it looks like such a fresh accompaniment.

Your love is super cute Lisa!I like halibut. Somehow I couldn't find thick pancetta at my favorite grocery stores. Your version is what I'm looking for. Oh, I like the tiny dried fish too! I used to have a Korean roommate and she always made me some. I also heard monk fish can pick up great flavor from seasoning. Gosh koreans are smart!